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DirecTV with a Generator

50K views 368 replies 60 participants last post by  Rich 
#1 ·
For those of you trying to connect your TV and DirecTV receivers to a generator, remember that you need to plug the SWM power source in as well. I learned this during Isaac last month (good thing I had some really long extension cords). Also, make sure to use surge protectors and not plug any electronic components directly into a generator.
 
#2 ·
+1

I did not have SWM when IKE paid us a visit here but I did have a generator and 4, 100 foot outdoor extension cords to run to the TVs and computers in the house.
 
#3 ·
I installed a transfer switch after the ice storm several years ago with a plug on back of the house,just plug hit 10 switches on the transfer box powers my whole house on a 5500 watt generator. Be sure to also ground the generator it should have a place to put a ground wire.
 
#7 ·
They say not to ground your genny to the house ground, I never understood that very well. I have my genny grounded to a ground rod that is driven in right next to my copper water main, But, even then, this ground rod is only 4 feet long, a ground rod is supposed to be 8 feet long.

Anyway, I once ran my DirecTV setup (and the rest of the house) for 6 weeks on a 5500 watt genny after hurricane Wilma. Ran great, although at the rate of 10 gallons of gas a day.
 
#8 ·
JeffBowser said:
They say not to ground your genny to the house ground, I never understood that very well. I have my genny grounded to a ground rod that is driven in right next to my copper water main, But, even then, this ground rod is only 4 feet long, a ground rod is supposed to be 8 feet long.

Anyway, I once ran my DirecTV setup (and the rest of the house) for 6 weeks on a 5500 watt genny after hurricane Wilma. Ran great, although at the rate of 10 gallons of gas a day.
I think the reason you should not ground the generator to the house ground is to protect line workers who are trying to restore power. I, too, have a separate ground rod just for my generator, but it is a regulation 8 foot copper clad ground rod that I drove into the ground near where I park the generator. When the generator is in use, I use a car jumper cable to connect the generator to the ground rod.
 
#9 ·
I've been thinking about bonding two 5 foot rods together - give me 8 feet of subsurface contact, and a foot above for cable clamps. This does not meet the letter of the code, but should accomplish the same thing. I had trouble enough driving the 4 foot rod, let alone drive an 8 footer.

fleckrj said:
I think the reason you should not ground the generator to the house ground is to protect line workers who are trying to restore power. I, too, have a separate ground rod just for my generator, but it is a regulation 8 foot copper clad ground rod that I drove into the ground near where I park the generator. When the generator is in use, I use a car jumper cable to connect the generator to the ground rod.
 
#10 ·
JeffBowser said:
This does not meet the letter of the code, but should accomplish the same thing.
Whether it creates a battery or some other electrolysis issue, two rods within 6' of each other are not allowed by codes in several jurisdictions. In most of these cases, two 8' rods spaced more than 6' apart are required.

Do a web search for "two ground rods".
 
#11 ·
JeffBowser said:
I've been thinking about bonding two 5 foot rods together - give me 8 feet of subsurface contact, and a foot above for cable clamps. This does not meet the letter of the code, but should accomplish the same thing. I had trouble enough driving the 4 foot rod, let alone drive an 8 footer.
The trick to driving the grounding rods is that commercial hammer drills have an adapter that will let the hammer drill drive the ground rod.
 
#12 ·
Right. Simple. If only I knew someone with the tools. :lol:

Combat Medic said:
The trick to driving the grounding rods is that commercial hammer drills have an adapter that will let the hammer drill drive the ground rod.
 
#15 ·
Sharing a ground rod b/w a generator and your home's electric supply won't affect a utility worker whatsoever. Connecting any other part of your generator into your breaker panel/house electrical service (without a proper transfer switch) COULD indeed injure a utility worker. IRC requires at least 8' of continuous earth contact for a proper low resistance grounding system. Isometrically bonding two (same exact composition metal) 5' ground rods (where would you even get them this size?) together could be done, but most people don't have the proper tools to do this. Using a single 8' ground rod (available at any hardware store) would make the most sense. Some areas of Canada (for example) require dual 8' ground rods approx. 10' apart for new service installs.
 
#16 ·
Had to deal with this after Hurricane Charley in '04. Ran a 100' extension cord up to the powered multiswitch in the attic of my 2-story home.

I had so many things plugged into my 5500W generator that when I had to shut it down to refuel I had to plug things back into the generator one or two at a time following a specific sequence as not to overload it all at once with the current spike associated with them starting up. Refrigerators, Freezer (these draw HUGE current spikes when they come on) and AC units first, then TVs, STBs, Multiswitch, Aquariums and lamps.

It only lasted a week but it felt a lot longer.
 
#19 ·
A transfer switch is the proper way. Live in a hurricane prone area like I do, and you quickly learn taking shortcuts with dryer outlets is not the way to go, as some of my neighbors stubbornly insist on doing.

Cyber36 said:
The only way to harm a service worker is to NOT shut off the main switch at the top of the panel while your backfeeding..........
 
#20 ·
HarleyD said:
Had to deal with this after Hurricane Charley in '04. Ran a 100' extension cord up to the powered multiswitch in the attic of my 2-story home.

I had so many things plugged into my 5500W generator that when I had to shut it down to refuel I had to plug things back into the generator one or two at a time following a specific sequence as not to overload it all at once with the current spike associated with them starting up. Refrigerators, Freezer (these draw HUGE current spikes when they come on) and AC units first, then TVs, STBs, Multiswitch, Aquariums and lamps.

It only lasted a week but it felt a lot longer.
What you were seeing with the refrigerators and freezers when they first come on is "inrush current". Takes only seconds (or less) to subside. But you did the right thing. If you hadn't pulled all the plugs before starting, you would have probably tripped the generators breakers. Once you have everything running, there will still be instances of inrush current each time the compressors in the refrigerators, freezers and AC units come on but the genny will handle that.

Rich
 
#21 ·
JeffBowser said:
A transfer switch is the proper way. Live in a hurricane prone area like I do, and you quickly learn taking shortcuts with dryer outlets is not the way to go, as some of my neighbors stubbornly insist on doing.
If you're gonna use a dryer receptacle to power your CB panel, you should shut off ALL the breakers, especially the main breaker before plugging the genny into your dryer receptacle. Then put a piece of electrical tape over the main breaker just to make sure you don't turn it on by mistake. The tape won't stop the CB from operating, but it will serve as a warning to not turn it on with the genny operating. Then turn on only the breakers you need after you get the panel juiced up with the genny.

Rule of thumb, voltage times amperage = wattage. Don't exceed the capacity of the genny. Try to keep it running at 80% of it's rated wattage. All electrical devices should have nameplates on them that will tell you the amperage draw. Just add up all the amps of the devices you NEED and multiply that figure by 117 and you'll have a rough, but good, idea of how much wattage you're drawing from the genny.

All that said, I'm finally giving up and I'm gonna buy a big genny with the transfer switch. I've been considering one for a while and I see them priced at ~ $6,000. Little enough to put out for peace of mind.

Rich
 
#22 ·
My SWM power injector is in the basement, had to run a cord down there last winter for just that, when we lost power.

I am going to put in a whole house generator. The portable just doesn't get it when we loose power in the middle of the winter. Get it out, clean the pad, hook it up, then go out in the cold and sometimes dark and fill it with gas, every few hours.
 
#23 ·
"loudo" said:
My SWM power injector is in the basement, had to run a cord down there last winter for just that, when we lost power.

I am going to put in a whole house generator. The portable just doesn't get it when we loose power in the middle of the winter. Get it out, clean the pad, hook it up, then go out in the cold and sometimes dark and fill it with gas, every few hours.
I think you can get generators that run off your natural gas line these days.

Kevin
 
#25 ·
JeffBowser said:
A transfer switch is the proper way. Live in a hurricane prone area like I do, and you quickly learn taking shortcuts with dryer outlets is not the way to go, as some of my neighbors stubbornly insist on doing.
Amazing :eek2:

Do they at least kill the main breaker to the panel (to isolate from the grid) when they do that?
 
#26 ·
dsw2112 said:
Amazing :eek2:

Do they at least kill the main breaker to the panel (to isolate from the grid) when they do that?
We did have a whole home unit, when we lived in Florida. Got spoiled and hate the manual portable unit that we have now. Worse up here in Maine using a manual during a winter storm. We are out in the country here and would need to us LP. But I see that LP will give you more amperage than NG, for the same unit.

Today's whole home generators have automatic switch over from utility to generator power. If your utility power is down for say 10 seconds, it will turn the generator on. There are also switches called smart switches that allow you to use a smaller generator to power your home. It just will not allow to many high amperage units to run at the same time. Example: Your electric stove will not turn on if your clothes dryer is running. It will wait for the dryer to shut off, then you can use the stove.
 
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